Article excerpt

Black women are graduating from college and graduate school in
record numbers, outstripping the progress of white women and
earning bachelor's and master's degrees at nearly twice the rate of
black men, a new study reports.

Black men also posted increases in some areas of higher
education but earned 10 percent fewer master's degrees and 20
percent fewer doctorates in 1994 than in 1977.

"African-Americans are recognizing more and more the importance
of a college degree," said William H. Gray III, president of the
College Fund, which commissioned a comprehensive report on blacks
in higher education. "The trends are very positive, but there are
also significant causes of concern."
The 500-page report, released Wednesday, compiles data from a
host of sources in an effort to provide a factual basis for future
policy decisions, Gray said. "We're trying to change
preconceptions, misconceptions, stereotypes and just plain
ignorance," he said.
Among the findings:
Blacks make up 10.1 percent of students at American colleges
and universities, up from 8.8 percent a decade ago, but still below
the 14.3 percent they represent of the U.S. college-age population.
Despite enrollment gains, blacks still earn a
disproportionately small share of degrees at all levels from
associate's to doctorates. But blacks made significant gains over
the last two decades in the area of professional degrees. …